Runaways
by Terrenis
Summary: Second Story in the "Norse God and Norse Vampire" – Series and sort-of-Prequel to "Who's your god?"…After a fight with his parents, Little Eric runs away from his home. In a cave he then meets the Norse God of Thunder himself and the both of them bond, until it's time for Eric to go back home… (ړײ) ...Thor & Eric and slight Thorki


-`҉҉´- ¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤ -`҉҉´- -`҉҉´ -`҉҉´ ¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤ -`҉҉´-

Runaways

-`҉҉´ ¤**¤ -`҉҉´-

By Terrenis

-`҉҉´- ¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤ -`҉҉´- -`҉҉´ -`҉҉´ ¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤ -`҉҉´-

A/N: Second Story in the "Norse God and Norse Vampire" – Series and sort-of-Prequel to "Who's your god?"…After a fight with his parents, Eric runs away from his home. In a cave he then meets the Norse God of Thunder himself and the both of them bond, until it's time for Eric to go back to go home… (ړײ) ...Thor & Eric and slight Thorki

Warnings: Too much adorableness on Eric's part ^^ and Loki may appear!

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me! I just own the idea.

-`҉҉´- ¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤ -`҉҉´- -`҉҉´ -`҉҉´ ¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤ -`҉҉´-

The thunderstorm had just begun to rage. Heavy sheets of cold rain drenched men and animals alike in the small mountain village. Most of the villagers ran towards the Great Hall to seek shelter from the forces of nature.

The exception was a small, blonde boy carrying a bundle on his back and with tears streaming down his adorable face. He was the only one who rushed into the opposite direction, out of the village on a path that led directly into the mountains.

His little feet carried him further and further away from his home. Eric, because that's the boy's name, didn't care about the rain. He didn't care that he was already dripping wet.

He just guessed that it was his fault that the sky was angry at him. It was his fault after all that his parents didn't like him anymore, but only his younger siblings. He had been an awful brother and a more awful son. His parents had made that very clear, after he had let it happen that one of his brothers had gotten hurt while playing under his supervision.

And surely he wouldn't be missed after that, so that his parents didn't have to bother with him anymore and could properly take care of their other children.

Eric ran further, until the path became stonier und stonier and he had to be more careful. A little bit earlier, he had spotted a cave in one of the big rocks somewhere above. It promised a relatively dry protection from the weather.

A streak of lightning split the sky and the blond child briefly wondered if the Gods would even notice if someone like him would drop down dead. But they would probably not.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity, Eric reached the den, totally soaked from head to toe. He had no idea what he was going to do, once the storm had ceased. But for now he was satisfied with a place to stay overnight…

…only to realize that the cave wasn't as empty as he had thought. Deeper inside, he could see a small campfire burning, crackling loudly as the flames licked over the logs of wood. A blonde, bearded man sat in front of it, wearing a sleeveless, strange-looking silver and blue armour and heavy boots.

Stormy blue stared into the blazes, didn't notice the small Viking boy. Directly above it, resting on two y-shaped branches, a really huge piece of meat was roasting on a stick, the delicious smell hitting Eric's nostrils, making his mouth water.

All of a sudden he became very hungry and briefly wondered if he should have stayed home at least until after the evening meal.

"You know you don't have to stand there all the time. I don't bite." A rich, deep and somewhat thunderous voice suddenly spoke, scaring Eric almost to death.

"Wh…What?" he managed to get out, once he had realized that the man had spoken to him. The light-coloured man smiled and gestured for the small Viking to come in and take a seat next to him.

Eric hesitated. His parents had always told him to be wary of strangers. And this man was a stranger. Could he trust him?

"I don't know! You're a stranger and I'm not supposed to talk to strangers." He articulated his doubts, his voice shaking a little bit.

He was hungry and to be honest, the stranger didn't look any more dangerous than the warriors of his home town.

"Very well, whom do I have the honour to speak with?" The man asked, preparing to stand up.

"Eric." The boy introduced himself.

The man got up and Eric could see that he was very tall, no, huge. He was taller than the biggest men back home.

The boy took a step forward – and gasped, when he spotted an item behind the man's back, which he knew too well. Most of his people wore it as an amulet. But when this item was what he suspected, then…

Wide-eyed, he stared at the stranger and the offered hand, who spoke now to him.

"It's nice to meet you, Eric! I'm Thor."

Eric didn't give an answer. He just gaped at the god in front of him. THOR was standing right in front of him, the 'authentic' god of thunder. And he had a hammer, a real gigantic hammer – Mjölnir.

There was a living myth standing right before him and offering him his hand.

"Are you really THE Thor?" it burst out of him.

The deity laughed quietly, which actually sounded like distant thunder, and nodded, strands of blond hair falling into his face. Thor put them back behind his ear before he turned his attention back to the small boy. Eric was awed and slowly took the god's hand, shaking it furiously.

"Well, now that we introduced ourselves, why don't you sit down? Can I offer you something to eat? You must be hungry. I could hear your stomach growling, when you were still miles away." The thunder god asked, still laughing.

Then he walked back to the fire, where his meat was still roasting, Eric following him slowly. Thor sat down and bade the small Viking to sit down next to him. This one took this chance ogle the mystical weapon, while the god grabbed a dagger, which had been hidden in his boot, and started to cut up pieces from the wild boar.

Out of a small bag he took some fruits Eric had never seen before in his young life, and some slices of bread wrapped up in a red cloth. All these bits and pieces he laid out on a flat, small rock nearby.

Eric watched with fascination, as the deity cut everything in small portions. Rummaging through his bag again, Thor found two wooden cups and a bottle with a liquid the boy couldn't quite identify.

Thor poured some of its contents in both drinking vessels and gave one to Eric, who held it tightly and sniffed at the liquid, keeping the other to himself. It smelled…of apples, sweet and spicy at the same time. He could hardly wait to taste it.

"So, help yourself, Eric. There's more than enough provisions for the two of us." The god declared, gesturing at the small feast he had prepared.

Eric didn't need to be told twice und dug in, grabbing handfuls of everything with his small fists, putting it into his mouth.

Thor chuckled at the boy's healthy appetite, reminding him of his own. Then he turned his head back to the fire, stared into the flames while taking sips from his own cup.

They stayed like this for quite a while. Eric kept throwing glances at the thunder god, while he wolfed down the food. It was glorious, so much different from the food he used to eat at home. And there was Thor…also so unlike the god he had heard so much about in numerous tales the elders liked to tell.

He looked…so ordinary, no sign of Thor's notorious temper at all. But maybe there was a more godly side behind this regular façade. He hadn't just seen it yet.

"Excuse me, if I ask you that…But why is the god of thunder here on Earth in a cave and roasting wild boar?" the small Viking asked.

The blonde god eyed him from the side, before a small smile appeared on his lips.

"I could ask you the same thing. Is there a specific reason why you are here in the middle of one of my storms? Or aren't you supposed to be with your family?" Thor replied in return.

Eric stopped chewing and stared with wide eyes at him, unshed tears glistening in his eyes. Apparently Thor hat hit a nerve.

"I ran away!" the boy whispered, suddenly losing interest in his meal. The god frowned at first, but his expression quickly changed into one that seemed to mirror Eric's.

"Fight with your parents, I guess?" he mused.

Eric's head shot up and he gaped at the immortal, finding a similar expression on that eternal face. Then it dawned on him. The Norse god was here because of a comparable predicament.

"You too?" he gasped, earning himself a nod from Thor. The divine being smiled sadly and Eric was dumbstruck to realize that even gods could have fights with their parents and run away. It was really shaking his world view that they had the same problems as mere mortals. On the other side, it was an interesting experience.

"What did you fight about?"

Eric was curious about what gods were fighting about.

"Well, I was of a different opinion than my father, regarding my younger brother, but since he's the Allfather he has to have the final word…of course."

"You have a brother?"

Thor chuckled.

"Of course I have. His name is Loki."

"The god of mischief? But isn't he a bad guy?"

The thunder god shook his head.

"You really don't have to believe everything, what your myths are telling you. Loki may be a trickster and a little mischief-maker, but he isn't a bad guy. And he still is my brother, no matter which and how many tricks he plays. Surely you can say the same about your family."

A long moment of silence followed. Then the small Viking boy spoke up again.

"I don't know. I love my siblings, but I'm not sure about my father and my mother. They hate me. That's why I ran away. They've been angry with me, because my brother got hurt because of me. They don't want me anymore." he whispered, a sad tone in his voice.

"That's awful. But how can you be sure? I tend to fight a lot with mine and sometimes my temper gets the best of me and it often, well, always ends in a shouting match. I usually come down here after such a fight to calm down. But in the end, I always go back home."

Thor's words made sense, now that Eric thought about it…

He really wasn't angry with his parents. It must have been the initial shock about his brother's injury that had led to their verbal disagreement. And to be honest, he missed them already. But still, it was way too early for him to go back and try to make amends. Eric wondered if they'd forgive him at all.

Maybe he could stay with Thor till dawn and then go back.

"I think I want to go back tomorrow. But can I stay here for tonight?" the little boy asked the deity.

The god laughed quietly and nodded.

"Of course you can. You don't have to ask. I could tell you some stories about my and Loki's adventures with my friends, the Warriors Three and the Lady Sif, although I'm not as good at telling stories as my good friend Volstagg. But I'll do my best."

"Oh yes, please!" Eric exclaimed excitedly, making himself comfortable next to Thor.

-`҉҉´ ¤**¤ -`҉҉´-

The next few hours were spent with lots of Thor's stories. Eric listened with interest to the tales the god had to tell. As time went by, he felt himself become sleepier and sleepier until, at some point, he finally asleep. He dreamt of rainbow bridges, tall thunder deities and him becoming a warrior. Those were the best dreams he had in a while.

When Thor woke him, it was still dark, but it had stopped raining and Eric could see the first signs of dawn in the distance. The campfire was still burning and the god had already prepared a breakfast from the leftover from the previous day for him, which the boy devoured with delight.

"They are searching for you. I can hear them, for the wind is carrying their voices to me." The god suddenly stated, his blue eyes staring out of the cave. He must hear and see something that Eric could not.

"Are you sure?" Eric asked unbelievingly. Thor just nodded and strangely enough, Eric did believe him. Why should the thunder god lie to him?

"So what do we do now?" he asked, still a little bit afraid of going back home.

Thor looked at the boy and all of a sudden, a very good idea occurred to the god. He just wondered if the boy would like it. So he asked:

"What do you think of flying?"

Eric began to grin.

-`҉҉´ ¤**¤ -`҉҉´-

The search lasted for hours now. Several men, dressed in furs and leather, carrying torches, were scouring the forest, which led up into the mountains, looking for something or someone. Luckily it had stopped raining, so that they'd have a better sight soon.

One blonde man had gone ahead of the rest, looking around frantically. That was because he was Eric's father Thorstein and the most worried about his son's disappearance.

He and his wife had discovered him being missing after coming back from the meeting in the Great Hall. None of his other children had known where he had gone. This only added to their already existent guilt about their disagreement earlier, because it was then when they realized that it must have been their fight which had led Eric to run away from home.

Immediately, he had organized a search party, while his wife had stayed with the rest of their children. He just hoped that Eric was alright and had not become a victim of wolves, which happened to live here in the forest.

Thorstein looked up to the sky. He could see first rays of sunshine illuminating the tree tops, only to notice dark thunderclouds cover the sun.

He scowled. He had expected that the mighty Thor would keep his temper in check for once, at least until they had found his son. But then again, the god's temper was always unpredictable.

The loud rumbling of thunder caught the men's attention, streaks of lightning splitting the sky in several parts, making the men startle in fear. The Vikings wondered why it hadn't started raining yet. It thundered again – and then, with a loud crash, a bright flash of lightning hit the ground right before them. Thorstein and the other men had to cover their eyes because of the brightness. Then there was silence.

When they opened their eyes again, they had to catch their breaths, staring in awe at the imposing figure that had appeared all of a sudden. It wore a winged helmet, silver and blue armour and a magnificent, blood red cape. Stormy blue eyes looked at them from a blond-bearded face, lips formed into a grin.

But it was the mighty war hammer in the 'man's' right hand that made them gasp. There was no doubt who the man was that was standing there right in front of them. But Thorstein still dared not believe his eyes, refused to believe what he saw.

"Which one of you is Thorstein?" the god thundered.

Thorstein could feel his fellow villager's eyes on him, when he took a step forward. What could the Norse God possibly want from him, a mere mortal?

"I take it you're looking for someone?" the deity thundered again.

Thorstein gulped. How could Thor know that they were looking for someone?

"Yes, mighty Thor! I'm looking for my missing son Eric. Have you seen him?" he asked the divine being.

Thor's face became angry for a moment, letting the other man assume the worst, before the angry scowl turned into a grin.

"Oh, you mean this little rascal?" he laughed and then stepped aside, revealing the small Viking boy from behind Thor's cape.

"ERIC!" Thorstein shouted and rushed forward, embracing his son and hugging him tightly.

"I'm sorry, father!" Eric sniffed, returning the embrace.

"Shhh, it's okay. But why did you run away? You got us worried and we've been looking for you for hours."

Eric buried his face into his father's shoulder.

"I thought you didn't want me anymore after our fight." He cried, tears streaming down his face. Thorstein sighed.

"Eric, you're our son and we love you, no matter how many disagreements we might have. That's no reason to disappear on us like that. Do you understand that?"

Eric just nodded. Thorstein smiled and scooped him up into his arms. Then he turned to the god.

"I thank you for bringing him back, mighty Thor!" the mortal spoke to the god.

This one just smiled.

"There is no need. We got along very well." Then he turned to the boy. "Farewell, Eric. It's been nice to meet you. Maybe we will see each other again one day, when you join us in Valhalla…" he said, offering him his free hand.

Eric smiled brightly and shook it. "I hope so, too. And thanks for everything, Thor!"

"You're welcome, Eric!" the god replied.

Then Thorstein went back to the other men, carrying Eric all the way back. Thor watched them slowly walk back down the path to the village, until he couldn't see them anymore. He sighed. He missed Eric already and the thought of him made him want to go home.

"Oh brother, you're a sentimental fool!" a silky voice said, pulling the thunder god of his train of thoughts. He whirled around and saw his brother standing there, dressed in his green and golden clothes.

"Loki, what are you doing here?" he snapped. Loki raised one of his elegant, black eyebrows.

"It's nice to see you, too, brother. Well, if you ask me so nicely…Mother has sent me to see if you are done with your tantrum and are ready to come home. You cannot stay here pouting forever." The dark-haired god spoke.

Thor didn't give an answer right away. He still stared down the path before finally making a decision. He turned to face his sibling, who stared expectedly at him with his vibrant green eyes.

"You're right, brother. I'm coming home with you." He said.

Loki almost fell over in surprise, when he heard his brother's announcement.

"You are?" he asked, not believing his ears.

The older god chuckled and went to him, taking his brother's hand in his own and squeezed it slightly.

"You heard right. But what I really wanted to is to apologize. I know I can be difficult most of the time, but no matter what happens, don't think that I don't love you." He declared to him, causing Loki to stare at him as if he had grown some extra body parts.

For quite a while, neither of them said a word. Finally, Loki broke the silence.

"Sentiment!" he huffed and for a moment Thor thought that he had said something wrong. But when he felt Loki squeezing back, he knew that everything was going to be alright.

Seconds later, both brothers disappeared into a swirl of rainbow colours.

-`҉҉´ ¤**¤ -`҉҉´-

Eric smiled, when he looked back to where they had left Thor and saw a disappearing rainbow. It seemed that the god had gone home to his parents. He still couldn't believe everything that had happened since yesterday. But he made vow to himself that he'd see the god again.

Someday.

-`҉҉´ ¤**¤ -`҉҉´-

20 years later, Eric, the Warrior, died in a forest from his battle wounds and briefly saw Thor again, before he was turned into a creature of the darkness.

-`҉҉´ ¤**¤ -`҉҉´-

Another 1000 years later, Eric Northman, the Vampire, would met Thor for a third time – after an epic battle in Manhattan, New York – an attack led by his only brother Loki.

-`҉҉´- ¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤ -`҉҉´- -`҉҉´ -`҉҉´ ¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤ -`҉҉´-

THE END!

-`҉҉´- ¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤ -`҉҉´- -`҉҉´ -`҉҉´ ¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤ -`҉҉´-

I hope you enjoyed my little story. There's a third story in progress, a smutty one. Unfortunately I'm stuck at writing the sex scene and I just hope that someone can help me with it.


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